Six Meals A Day

The most serious of bodybuilders know that consuming six or more meals per day is essential to not only massive gain, but makes it easier for your body to efficiently digest the food, and keeps you topped off with nutrients. The "six a day" rule also keeps your stomach smaller, promotes more water consumption, and allows you to intake more fiber, fruits and vegetables.

However, this doesn't mean that you can grab every bag of potato chips, candy bar or Big Mac you see. You've got to eat healthy to build mass, and you also must consider the other guidelines of bodybuilding nutrition.

1. Eat at least a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight every day.

2. Drink at least one ounce of water for every two pounds of bodyweight every day and strive to drink more.

3. Have an appropriate postworkout drink or meal.

4. Always eat breakfast.

5. Leave behind all refined sugars or processed foods.

6. Use supplements to boost your workout and nutrition efforts.

THE GLUTTONY DIET Early bodybuilders ate pretty much everything within arms-length throughout their daily routines, although they avoided most junk foods. Just as quickly, they would sit down to a whopping steak dinner that evening, complete with veggies, a baked potato and a salad. But that wasn't all. If more meat was available, they'd help themselves to that, too, until there was nothing left in sight to devour.

Sound caveman-esque? Sure, by today's more liberal workout standards. But it worked. And, like the adage states: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Going back to the bodybuilding of late certainly can't hurt your training regimen.

THE STANDARDS Of your six-pack of meals, let us suggest the optimum timing for three:

Breakfast: Make sure you have a meal in mind the night before so that when you wake up in the morning, you can eat as soon as possible. No matter how rushed you are in the mornings, make eating breakfast a crucial part of your daily routine. Experiment with what ratio of carbs and proteins work best for you throughout the day.

Postworkout: Prevent thrashed muscle fibers by including a protein and carb drink after every vigorous workout. This will keep cortisol in check and prevent muscle catabolism. All or almost all of those nutrients will contribute to repair and strengthening of your muscles, liver, gut and immune system.

The "six a day" rule also keeps your stomach smaller, promotes more water consumption, and allows you to intake more fiber, fruits and vegetables.

Before bed: Although eating before bed has previously been thought of as a major no-no, it minimizes muscle breakdown. This is one example where choosing protein with a significant content of casein with its prolonged digestion and delivery of aminos to the muscles, could potentially be superior to rapidly digested and absorbed proteins, such as pure whey.

BUY IN BULK The three time periods explained earlier are obviously crucial. But, to keep your body well-trained, it takes three more meals on top of that to ensure a massive body, and amino stores topped-off. The question is, how can you do it with the least amount of fuss? If cooking is your arch nemesis, get over it. All you need to do is prepare all of your meat in bulk once a week (either on a large grill or in the oven) so that for the next few days, your meals are just a nuke away.

Next, add a starchy item such as a potato, yam or sweet potato, boiled rice or oatmeal. Lastly, all you need are berries, a few steamed or microwaved broccoli florets, an orange, or other sources of fiber and antioxidants.

START SEEING RESULTS! Give it an honest try for two weeks, focus, and be patient! By the end of those two weeks, you will see and feel a difference in your physique and energy level, provided you take our primitive (but effective) advice and eat up a storm.

Nothing in life is ever easy, so anything worth your time and energy has to be given serious effort. Fine-tuning your diet and exercise regimens is one of them. There is nothing more important than you and your health. So eat up, chow down and enjoy! FLEX.